Formerly Adventures Into Healthy......
In the beginning, this was a blog about becoming healthy (adventures into healthy). Where I shared my cooking tips, recipes and fun ideas to help keep you healthy and motivated. Now, this is a becoming a disorderly conglomeration of inspiration, mishaps, good food, family, health and wellness, tips, tricks and ideas! There is no theme or focus, just a mish-mosh of things I want to share! So how about it....join me on this new adventure!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Well, here goes! My adventures into a healthier lifestyle! NOT a New Year's Resolution, but a New Year's lifestyle! If I call it a resolution, i am bound to fail. I know this, because i have done it a million times!

I consider myself an average person. A daughter, a sister, a wife and a busy mother of 2. Nothing special, just a good person trying to live an honest, good life. I LOVE to be in the kitchen. I LOVE to share good food with family and friends. I LOVE to be creative. On this adventure, I will share my ideas of healthy eating, healthy tips and inspiring words.

I HOPE, by doing this, it will inspire me to be healthier.....to...ugh....dare I say it.......exercise. There, I said it......exercise. Exercise. I do know that it is not enough in life to eat healthy, i need to exercise. Problem is, where do i fit it in? After a full day of playing mommy, cleaning lady, personal shopper, emergency room RN, business owner, personal short order cook, expert Lego builder, homework helper and chauffeur. REALLY??? EXERCISE. OK. I WILL fit it in. Promise!

Here i will post everything i am doing to try and be healthier in a busy world! PLEASE post back with what you are doing, I love to gather tips, tricks and shortcuts! My goal is to make this easy and fun for me. Reading blogs is fun right? I thought i might see how much fun it is to write one!!!

Happy Reading!

Today's post will be quite long, i have to catch you up on the past 3 days!

Monday Jan 9th.....Started the day making Egg Beater patties! I thought breakfast should be a no brainer! I made 12 egg patties using my round metal egg form. (12 you say?? I am not the only one in this house in need of a healthier lifestyle!) I made each one with 1/4 cup of egg beaters (50 calories each). I layered them on parchment paper in an airtight container. In the morning, I heat one up for a quick breakfast that keeps hunger at bay until lunch. I top it with 2 tablespoons of Weight Watcher brand shredded cheese (40 calories) and I put it on a toasted english muffin (the kind that says "light" and has at least 9 grams of fiber and 90 calories). How is that for a 180 calorie breakfast!

Tuesday Jan 10th.....Yummy! Egg Sammy for breakfast!Decided to create my own version of my mom's amazing vegetable beef soup, without the beef! It is loaded with non starchy veggies and a few kidney beans! My guess is 100 calories per 2 cup serving. WOW! Paired with Wasa Rosemary Thin and Crispy Flatbread (2 pieces for only 70 calories), that's a hearty lunch! Here's the Recipe.....It makes ALOT, so half it or freeze it if you need to, or give some to a friend!

Vegetarian Veggie Soup

In a 10 Quart Pot, add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook at least an hour! I prefer all organic ingredients.

64 ounces Fat Free Low Salt Chicken Broth

4 Cups Water

1/2 Head Cabbage Shredded or Diced

12 ounce can Tomato Paste

14 ounce can Petite Diced Tomatoes

10 ounces Frozen Chopped Spinach (no need to defrost)

16 ounces Crinkle Cut Coin Carrots (fresh or frozen)

1 cup diced onions (fresh or frozen)

2 zucchini, diced

1 yellow zucchini, diced

16 ounce bag frozen broccoli/cauliflower mix

16 ounce bag frozen cut green beans

1 T minced garlic

2 T italian seasoning

2 16 ounce cans drained dark red kidney beans

Yummy!!!!!

Wed Jan 11......

I have been making Dr Oz's Tangerine Mint Green Tea, he calls it Tangerine Weight-Orade. It contains: green tea, which he states has been shown to boost metabolism 12% by drinking just one cup; tangerine, with a chemical composition that increases sensitivity to insulin and stimulates genes that help to burn fat; and mint, a calorie-free flavor enhancer. I read on New Nostalgia that Green Tea is rich in catechins, which reduce growth of blood vessels needed for tumor growth.

A study published in 1998, Japanese researchers investigated the effects of drinking green tea on the progression ofbreast cancer. The study involved 472 patients with stage I, II, and IIIbreast cancer. The results showed that increased consumption of green tea was linked to a decrease in the spread ofbreastcancerin premenopausal women. In a follow-up study, the researchers found that increased consumption ofgreen tea was correlated with decreased recurrence of stage I and II breast cancer. -The New Encyclopedia of Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements and Herbs by Nicola Reavley

Dr Oz's Tangerine Mint Green Tea

In a large pitcher, combine:

8 cups of brewed green tea

1 tangerine, sliced

A handful of mint leaves I got the photo from Ziplist!

Stir this delicious concoction up at night so all the flavors fuse together. Drink 1 pitcher daily for maximum metabolism-boosting results.

Now break graham crackers in half and put about a tablespoon of cool whip on half of the graham crackers (you might want to put on a little more cool whip to make thick). Place halves without cool whip on top of the covered halves to make "sandwiches". You can do this to all the graham crackers or just a few, or until you run out of cool whip.

Place on cookie sheet and freeze for about 1 hour or until they are frozen. Yummeeeeee!!!!

Hi Aime. Thanks! I think i am going to do a post about my daily meals and exercise. Basically, i started out slow by doing just dance on the wii for about 35 minutes (6 songs) 3 days a week and walking on the treadmill 2 days a week for about 30 minutes. I find if i do it longer than 30 minutes i get stressed out. I can get my 5 year old to do wii with me and it makes it fun! Next week i think i am going to add wii zumba instead of just dance and start walking on the treadmill 3 days instead of only 2. I am really making this into a lifestyle change instead of a diet. I am not a fan of exercise and that is where i fall short. I have the healthy eating thing down, that's the easy part for me. Thanks for the question, i will post a weekly update on my exercise for the week, it will help me too!